Weight lifting is an athletic discipline with an ancient history. For centuries, various populations have held competitions to determine who can lift the heaviest weight. Today's sport traces back to 19th century Europe, including the Olympic Games of 1896. Those who lift weights either within or outside the rules of the Olympic Games practice the sport. To do so effectively, various tools have been developed to conserve strength to allow for more practice lifts in a session.
Blocks have always been a staple of training in serious weightlifting gyms and Olympic training centers worldwide. They are an extremely effective training tool for new lifters in need of technical work, and veteran lifters working on technique refinement. Blocks provide a safe platform for both pulling/pushing and dropping the weight for the next lift without needing to go all the way back to the ground. This is not only convenient for the next lift, but it saves valuable time and energy when lifting heavy weight, and allows the lifter to focus on the intended training rather than re-lifting the weight from the ground before each repetition.
With the rapid proliferation of “functional fitness” movements, and the continued utilization of these training methods in university and high school athletic programs training, the Olympic Lift (clean, jerk, snatch) has become ever popular. The snatch requires the use of a very wide grip to pull the barbell overhead without pressing out with the arms. The clean and jerk uses a narrower grip to pull the bar to the shoulders and the push until the arms reach full extension without a press out. However, a vast majority of the training facilities promoting these lifts do not provide blocks or platforms in their set-ups. Traditional wooden blocks (though cost effective and strong) are heavy, cumbersome, and very inconvenient to store when not in use. Further, one must own a set of low blocks and a set of high blocks in order to be able to practice both lifts efficiently.
Newer steel constructed platforms are equally hard to store, and are generally offered with a fixed height, or limited range of height adjustability, also requiring two separate sets to be obtained for each high (pushing-jerk, press) and low (pulling-clean, snatch) training. These steel platforms are generally more expensive than wooden blocks.
What was needed was a set of platforms with at least the strength of wooden blocks that could be easily stored. What was also needed was a set of platforms configured to function at more than a single height, thereby negating the need for separate sets for every needed height. Further, the modern gym and home gym alike would benefit from a set of platforms that could be reduced in size for storage and equipped with means to make their transport simpler and easier. Finally, a block that could be converted for other uses such as for use as a sled for other training needs would offer additional benefits.